In addition to having a trifecta, it is also worth exploring which states have supermajorities. The supermajority allows a party in power to further exert its influence over the minority party.

In addition to having a trifecta, it is also worth exploring which states have supermajorities. The supermajority allows a party in power to further exert its influence over the minority party.

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As of December 2012, there are 21 states with a trifecta and a supermajority and 15 states with a trifecta but no legislative supermajority. The breakdown is as follows:<ref name=ncsl>[http://ncsl.typepad.com/the_thicket/2012/11/half-the-states-will-have-veto-proof-majorities.html ''NCSL'' "Half the States will Have Veto-Proof Majorities," November 27, 2012]</ref>

+

As of August 2013, there are 23 states with a trifecta and a supermajority and 14 states with a trifecta but no legislative supermajority. The breakdown is as follows:<ref name=ncsl>[http://ncsl.typepad.com/the_thicket/2012/11/half-the-states-will-have-veto-proof-majorities.html ''NCSL'' "Half the States will Have Veto-Proof Majorities," November 27, 2012]</ref>

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{{bluedot}} <u>Democratic trifectas and supermajorities</u>

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{{bluedot}} <u>Democratic trifectas and supermajorities (8)</u>

* California

* California

* Hawaii

* Hawaii

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* Maryland

* Maryland

* Massachusetts

* Massachusetts

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* Rhode Island

* West Virginia

* West Virginia

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{{reddot}} <u>Republican trifectas and supermajorities</u>

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{{reddot}} <u>Republican trifectas and supermajorities(15)</u>

* Alabama

* Alabama

* Georgia

* Georgia

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* Idaho

* Idaho

* Kansas

* Kansas

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* Louisiana

* North Carolina

* North Carolina

* North Dakota

* North Dakota

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{{bluedot}} <u>Democratic trifectas without supermajorities</u>

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{{bluedot}} <u>Democratic trifectas without supermajorities (5)</u>

* Colorado

* Colorado

* Connecticut

* Connecticut

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* Vermont

* Vermont

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{{reddot}} <u>Republican trifectas without supermajorities</u>

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{{reddot}} <u>Republican trifectas without supermajorities (9)</u>

* Alaska

* Alaska

* Arizona

* Arizona

* Florida

* Florida

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* Louisiana

* Michigan

* Michigan

* Mississippi

* Mississippi

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[[File:Control of states map 2012.png|thumb|center|350px|As of December 2012, there are 21 states where there is a trifecta and a supermajority in the legislature. Of those 21 states, 14 are Republican and 7 are Democratic.]]

[[File:Control of states map 2012.png|thumb|center|350px|As of December 2012, there are 21 states where there is a trifecta and a supermajority in the legislature. Of those 21 states, 14 are Republican and 7 are Democratic.]]

In other words, a trifecta occurs when there is no divided government. The concept of the trifecta is important in state lawmaking because in many states, the governor, senate majority leader and house majority leader play decisive roles in the legislative process.

The 37 trifectas is the most across the country in more than 60 years and represents a growing shift away from divided government.[1][2] There are two additional "elected trifectas" -- however, power-sharing complexities have removed those states from the trifecta count.

Trifecta details

Trifecta plus

Trifectas can be further analyzed by adding in an additional dataset -- State Supreme Court's. In some states, the State Supreme Court justice is elected on a partisan ticket, while in some cases the elected justices are non-partisan. Still in other states, the justices are appointed. However, in many cases, there is an effective understanding that a working majority of the court sides with either conservative or progressive issues.

A Trifecta Plus for the Democratic Party is a state with a Trifecta and a working majority of the State's High Court that tends to support progressive jurisprudence. A Trifecta Plus for the GOP is a state with a Trifecta and a working majority of the State's High Court that tends to support conservative/libertarian jurisprudence.

Based upon judicial analysis, there are 22 states where the State Supreme Court can be labeled as leaning in one direction or the other. Incorporating the trifecta data, the following is a breakdown of the states with a Trifecta Plus, as of December 2012.

Trifecta Plus

Illinois

Oregon

West Virginia

Trifecta Plus

Alabama

Alaska

Idaho

Michigan

Mississippi

North Carolina

Ohio

Texas

Wisconsin

The judicial landscape of the courts is based upon the Democratic Judicial Campaign Committee's analysis.[3]

Trifectas and supermajorities

In addition to having a trifecta, it is also worth exploring which states have supermajorities. The supermajority allows a party in power to further exert its influence over the minority party.

As of August 2013, there are 23 states with a trifecta and a supermajority and 14 states with a trifecta but no legislative supermajority. The breakdown is as follows:[4]

As of December 2012, the following 12 states have a Trifecta Plus. In three states, the Democratic Party has a trifecta while the State Supreme Court has a working majority of justices that tend to support progressive jurisprudence. In nine states, the Republican Party has a trifecta while the State Supreme Court has a working majority of justices that tend to support conservative/libertarian issues.

As of December 2012, there are 21 states where there is a trifecta and a supermajority in the legislature. Of those 21 states, 14 are Republican and 7 are Democratic.

Who Runs the State report

To further investigate the concept of trifectas and their impact on state government and policy, Ballotpedia analyzed state government control from 1992-2013, focusing specifically on trifectas.

Part 1: Partisanship

The trifecta analysis over this period shows a notable trend toward one-party control of state governments. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 states had trifectas while 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas hold sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years we studied. The number of states with trifectas doubled between 1992 and 2013.

The trifecta analysis also allowed us to identify seven states that have experienced dramatic changes in partisan state government control from the first 11 years of the study to the last 11 years of the study. Studying the partisan composition of state governments as we do also allows a clean way to assess whether a state is "moving red" or "moving blue".

Visualizations

Legend for State government trifecta visualization -- Figures 10 and 11

2012

Heading into the 2012 elections there were 33 total trifectas in the United States. After the election, there were five new trifectas, bringing the total to 38 trifectas. However, following the election, power-sharing arrangements in two states reduced the total trifectas to 36.

Trifecta complexities

There are three states that complicate the labeling of trifectas. These three unique situations brought the total trifectas from 37 to 36, decreasing the Democratic states by two and adding one GOP state.

In New York, the Democratic party by virtue of the elections controls all three levels of government. However, a power-sharing agreement was reached that gave control of the State Senate over to the Republicans, after five elected Democrats pledged to caucus with the GOP. This burst the Democratic trifecta, reducing the total trifectas by one state.[7]

In Washington, the Democratic by virtue of the elections controls all three levels of government. However, a power-sharing agreement was reached that gave control of the State Senate over to the Republicans, after two conservative Democrats pledged to elected Republican leadership to the chamber. This burst the Democratic trifecta, reducing the total trifectas by one state.[9]

A legislatively-referred constitutional amendment is a limited form of direct democracy with comparison to the initiated constitutional amendment. With the initiated constitutional amendment, voters can initiate the amendment and approve it, whereas with the legislatively-referred amendment, they can only approve or reject amendments initiated by their state's legislature.

Breakdown by states

The breakdown of states below is current as of December 2012, after the 2012 elections.

Breakdown of all 50 states

Requirement By Type

Total States

Majority one session

9

Majority two sessions

7

60% supermajority

9

2/3 supermajority

18

Multiple options

6

Note: Delaware is not included above. The Legislature acts alone on constitutional amendments.

Majority (One session)

Nine states allow a referred amendment to go on the ballot after a majority vote in one session of the state's legislature. All 10 states have both chambers of the legislature controlled by a single party.

Section 16 of Article IV of the North Dakota Constitution very simply says, "Any amendment to this constitution may be proposed in either house of the legislative assembly, and if agreed to upon a roll call by a majority of the members elected to each house, must be submitted to the electors and if a majority of the votes cast thereon are in the affirmative, the amendment is a part of this constitution."

Majority (Two sessions)

Seven states allow a referred amendment to go on the ballot after a majority vote in two successive sessions of the state's legislature. With the exception of New York, all other states have both chambers of the legislature controlled by a single party.

60% Supermajority

Nine states allow a referred amendment to go on the ballot after a 60% supermajority vote in one session of the state's legislature. States with a 60% supermajority include Alabama and Maryland. Illinois, North Carolina, and Ohio have the required supermajority if you assume some independents caucus with the majority party.[4]

If 60% of the membership of each chamber of the Kentucky General Assembly approves, a proposed amendment goes on the ballot at the next general election during which members of the state legislature are up for election.

2/3rds Supermajority

Eighteen states allow a referred amendment to go on the ballot after a 2/3rds supermajority vote in one session of the state's legislature. States with a 2/3rd supermajority include California, Idaho, Kansas, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming. Georgia has the required supermajority if you assume some independents caucus with the majority party.[4]

The Tennessee General Assembly must approve a proposed amendment in two successive sessions. In the second such session, the proposed amendment must earn 2/3rds approval (in the first session, it only needs majority approval).

Multiple options

Six states (Connecticut, Hawaii, New JerseyOklahoma, Pennsylvania and Vermont) have an either/or system: a proposed amendment must be passed by simple majority in two separate legislative sessions, or by a supermajority vote of one session.[10] All four states have both chambers of the state legislature controlled by a single party. Additionally, Hawaii Democrats control both chambers with a supermajority.

The state legislature must approve a proposed amendment by a supermajority vote of 2/3rds but the same amendment can also qualify for the ballot if successive sessions of the Hawaii State Legislature approve it by a simple majority.

The state legislature must approve a proposed amendment by a supermajority vote of 60% but the same amendment can also qualify for the ballot if successive sessions of the New Jersey State Legislature approve it by a simple majority.

The Oklahoma State Legislature can approve a proposed amendment by a majority vote. (However, if the state legislature wants the proposed amendment to go on a special election ballot, it has to approve the amendment by a 2/3rds vote.)

Two successive sessions of the state legislature may, by a simple majority vote each time, refer a proposed amendment to the ballot. But, if the legislature deems that a "major emergency threatens or is about to threaten the Commonwealth" it can put a measure on the ballot in just one session of the legislature, if there is a 2/3rds vote to do so.

Amendments in Vermont must be considered in two successive sessions of the Vermont General Assembly. The second time they are considered, they need win only a majority vote. However, in the first legislative session where an amendment is considered, it must win a majority vote of the state house but a 2/3rds vote of the Vermont State Senate.

↑Note: While Pennsylvania does not have an actual supermajority, it is included in this list because only a simple majority is required to override a governor's veto. Therefore, the powers of a supermajority are present in Pennsylvania, and thus it is included here.